Tag Archives: cookies

Recently on a Saturday morning young friends in Paris suggested that we get together for dinner that evening at their apartment. They had a toddler and no baby sitter, but wanted to entertain. Together we decided to buy most of the dishes—an easy task in this city that boasts tempting food specialty shops in every neighborhood. I volunteered to bring purchased appetizers and a simple homemade dessert, while our pals chose to oversee the main course. The dinner was not only delicious, but also stress-free.

For openers, my spouse and I arrived with fresh marinated artichokes, thinly sliced herbed ham, stuffed olives, and a slice of pâté. Roast chicken, ratatouille, and a salad of cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta followed. But we lingered longest over the dessert of juicy sliced peaches and plump raspberries served with a bowl of crème fraiche scented with honey and minced ginger. It took less than a half hour to assemble from start to finish, and Continue reading →

Looking out my kitchen window, I once again see snow cascading from the skies. Although the fields behind our house take on a fairy tale glow as the snow blankets them, I am weary of staying in during yet another winter storm. (I’ve lost track of how many we’ve had this year!)

What I do during these blizzards is cook. I’ve made countless soups. Chicken and black bean chili, a thick tomato soup topped with Parmesan cream, and spicy Indian lentil and butternut squash soup helped me ride out previous storms. This week I’ve turned to baking, and pulled out a favorite recipe for extra-thin, extra crispy oatmeal cookies. I was reminded recently of this recipe, which I first made and wrote about two decades ago. A food editor from a Honolulu newspaper wrote to tell me she was running it in the food section of a local paper at the request of one of her readers. Continue reading →

For Valentine, why not try these scrumptious chocolate caramel bars composed of three sublime layers- a buttery crust, a caramel center, and a dark chocolate coating! They can be prepared 2 days ahead so there’s no last minute work, and the recipe, which yields 16 bars, can be doubled or tripled depending on your needs. Continue reading →